Controller-operating mechanism



6 H. K. WOOD. CONTROLLER OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 19' 19H- Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

INVENTOR umrsa stares Parent OFFICE.

HUBERT K. WOOD, OE BAYSIDE, NEXV YORK, ASIGNOR T0 ELECTRIC FLASHER COM-PAN'Y, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 01* NEW YORK.

CONTROLLER- OPERATING IVIEGEIANISM.

Application filed April 19,

To all whom it may-concern Be it known that L'Hunnm li Woo a citizen ofthe United States oi? America, residing in Bayside, Queen's county, Longis land, State ofNew York, have inyented certain new and usefulImprovements in Controller-Operating Mechanism, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to controller open ating mechanism and aims toprovide im provements therein. The invention relates moreespecially'toan electric switch operating mechanism, thes'witcheii'ecting two or more controls. c

There are at the present time controller or switch operating mechanismswhich effectthe distributionfor making and breaking of one or moreelectric circuits at desired times.

For example, in apartment houses it may be desirable to turn on the halllights at a certain hour of the evening and to turn them of? at an hourin the morning, or allow these lights to burn for a period,- then cutout half the number of lights, and in the morn-'- ing to cut out all ofthe lights, I

It frequently happens, however, that is desirable 'to put 011;lightsbeiore the time when it is usual-to put themon.- In previousapparatus permitting of efi'ecti'ng controls at'times other tha-n' that'at which the mechanism is set to act, such irregular or untimelyoperation *may result in disorder ing the subsequent'series of controls.Forinstance, wherelights have been-put on prior to the time forordinarily being put on, the means for effecting-the cutting outo'f-halt the lights may operate tocut out half theligl-its at the timewhen normally all of the lights are put on,'and at the'time when halfthe lights 'are 'to be cutout, the'ineans for cutting out all ofthe-lights'may act.

The p'resentinvention 1 provides means whereby the f0re'going"-objections are avoided, and whereby controls may-be elfected at timesother than the usual time,- and whereby the subsequent sequence ofcontrols may be eifectedfby the apparatus as effectively andas regularlyas though the untimely control had not been efiected. An embodiment ofthe invention is illustrated in the 'accompanying drawings,

where1n v Figure 1 is a top plan vi'ew thereof;

Fig. 2 is a' sectional view; following generally the line IL-II Fig. '3,and

Specification of Letters Patent.

turn at desired speed.

hours of the day and night.

controller 3i.

? ofthe motor F2.

Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

1917. Serial no; 163,163.

Fig. 3 is a side view. f

In said drawings the letter A designates a suitable controller, hereshown as an on and oil electric switch; B designates a motor oractuating mechanism for actuating the controller A, and C designates amechanism for controlling the operation of the actuating mechanisniB.The mechanism C is here shown as a clock-actuated mechanism,

in direct proximity to the motor mechanism B, but other means foractuating the motor mechanisnilfi may be employed. Further more,clock-mechanism remote from the mo tor mechanism 13 may be. employed.

'l'he clock-actuating mechanlsm C may be of usual'construction,comprising a main spring and cscapement, and also comprises a dial 0actuated by the clock mechanism to As here shown, the dial is adapted tomake one revolution in' twenty-four hours, and the dial preferably earsthereon numerals indicating the or an associated part, carries aplurality of actuators c, a, one actuator being-provided for eachcontrol to be effected by the switch erably adjustable with relation tothe dial, and are provided with handles a by which they may beconveniently moved. In order to designate the individual handles, theymay bemade of different form, as here indi cated, one being shown asround and the other being shown as square.

The actuatin mechanism B preferably com-prises a spring motor driving atrain oi gears Y, 57, 32, '6', the gear b" actuating a gear (2; upon theswitch or controller. A

1 suitable governor, as a fan governor b ,.inay be provided 'toi'controlhng the running of the motor 5.

A suit-ables detent mechanism '0 1S provided ior controllingtherunningprises a detent' 5*, Z), etc., i or each control to be effected by theswitch or controller A. The detentsmay act to control the running of themotor in any suitable way, the detents being here shown as acting uponthe The dial a,

ho actuators c, c areprei Thefdetent mechanism 00111 actuators c, 0except the detenet which effects the next control in the ordinarysequence of operations. By this arrangement all of the actuators passidly by the detents, except the actuator corresponding with the nextcontrol in the ordinary sequence. These means preferably comprise aplurality of notched disks b, 6, etc., actuated by suitable means, asgearing b, b, to turn at a speed related to the movements of thecontroller A. The detents are provided with suitable means, as pins b,b, for engaging the notched disks. The detents are normally pressed bysprings b in a direction to engage the fan governor 6 Operation: Theoperation of the embodiment herein shown and specifically described willbe given as illustrative of the operation of the invention.

In Fig. 1 the switch is shown being in off position. The pin 7) of thedetent b rests against the periphery of its corresponding disk 12. Thedetent b having its pin I) in the notch in the disk I), is pushedforward by its spring I) and engages the fan governor b and holds themotor mechanism B and the switch or controller mechanism A againstmovement.

The dial 0 of the clock-actuating mechanism C, traveling in thedirection of the arrow, in course of time brings the actuator 0 intocontactwith the pin 7F upon the detent I). The contact of the actuator 0upon the detent 6* moves the detent out of engagement with the fancontroller 6 thereby notch under the force of the motor B. The

motor mechanism B continues to turn the switch or controller A until thedisk I) comes into position to allow the pin upon the detent b to fallinto the notch in the said disk I), whereupon one of the springs I)pushes the said detent 6 forward into position to engage and stop themovement of the fan governor b whereupon the movement of the motormechanism B and the 1 controller mechanism A is stopped. The

relation between the degrees of rotation of the shaft bearing the disksI), 7), etc, and the switch, is such that the switch or controllereffects the desired change of control during the time the series ofnotched disks 7) 6, etc., is released by one detent and stopped byanother. For example, supposing the controller A to be one that effectsa control in a quarter-turn, 2". (2., effects an on and an off controlin a half revolution, the gears I) and Z)" being equal and remaining thesame, the gear b would have half the number of teeth of the gear (I.Should the control be one which effected four different controls in onerevolution, the gear 6 would be made of the same number of teeth as thegear a, and four notched disks provided, instead of two, with thenotches 90 apart.

After the aforementioned operation of the mechanism, the switch orcontroller in Fig. 1 will be in the on position. The actuator 0 will, inits appropriate time, moving in the direction of the arrow, come intocontact with the pin b (Fig. upon the detent b lifting the detent bthereby releasing the fan controller 5 and permitting the motormechanism B to actuate the controller or switch mechanism A to effectthe next control, viz: to turn the switch to off position.

Referring again to Fig. 1 (with the switch in off position), supposingit being de sired to turn the controller to on position prior to thetime that the actuatotr 0 would ordinarily move around to the positionto actuate the detent I), the detent I) may he moved by hand, or othermeans, to release the fan governor mechanism b whereupon the motor willbe released and turn the switch or controller to on position. The motormechanism B will be stopped by the detent b (the pin upon the detent I)dropping into the notch upon the disk I) and allowing the detent I) tobe pressed forward and engage the fan controller b and when the motor isstopped in the on position, the pin 72 upon the detent b will rest uponthe periphery of the disk 6 and consequently hold the pin 6" thereon outof position to be struck by the actuator 0. Consequently, when theactuator c is turned in course of time to the position where it wouldcontact with the detent b, the detent b will be out of position tocontact with the actuator c, and consequently the actuator 0, will passidly by the detent I). The dial a continuing to turn will bring theactuator 0 around to contact with the detent b (effecting the offposition of the switch) in the regular lapse of time, and the mechanismwill act, and continue to act regularly, as if the controller had notbeen actuated out of its ordinary time by the manual operation of thedetent.

To operate a switch or control having a greater number of controls thantwo, the mechanism B would be provided with a number of disks anddetents corresponding to the number of controls, and the clockactuatingmechanism C would also be provided with a number of actuatorscorresponding to the number of controls.

By omitting the clock-actuating mechanism C, the detents of the motormechanism B may be manually operated to effect controls of thecontroller or switch A.

The inventive idea herein set forth may be expressed in other mechanicalembodiments than that herein specifically described and illustrated.

What I claim is 1. Controller operating mechanism, comprising acontroller, a motor for operating said controller, detent mechanism andmeans for operating said detent mechanism, said detent mechanismcomprising a plurality of detents, each of said dctents beingindependent of the other, and a plurality of notched disks, said notcheddisks being adapted to hold all but one detent at a time out of positionto be actuated by said means for operating the detent mechanism, saidmotor comprising a governor adapted to be engaged by the detents.

2. Controller operating mechanism, comprising a controller, a motor foroperating said controller, detent mechanism and cloclo actuated meansfor operating said detent mechanism, said detent mechanism comprising aplurality of detents, each of said detents being independent of theother, and a plurality of notched disks, said notched disks beingadapted to hold all but one detent at a time out of position to beactuated by said cloclcactuated means for operating the detentmechanism, said motor comprising a governor adapted to be engaged by thedetents.

Controller operating mechanism, comprising a controller, a motor foroperating said controller, detent mechanism and means for operating saiddetent mechanism, said detent mechanism comprising a plurality ofdetents, each of said detents being independent of the other, and aplurality of notched disks, said notched disks being adapted to hold allbut one detent at a time out of position to be actuated by said meansfor operating the detent mechanism, said motor comprising a partconnected with the rotor of said motor adapted to be engaged by thedetents.

l. Controller operating mechanism, comprising a controller, a motor foroperating said. controller, detent mechanism and clockactuated means foroperating said detent mechanism, said motor comprising a gover noradapted to be engaged by the detents, and said detent mechanismcomprising a plurality of detents, each of said detents be ingindependent of the other, and means adapted to hold all but one detentat a time out of position to be actuated by said means for operating thedetent mechanism, whereby it one detent be actuated by other than itsnormal operating means, such detent will be moved out of operatingposition with respect to its normal operating means, and the next detentin the sequence moved into operative position to be actuated by theoperating means at the time when said operating means would normallyactuate said lastnamed detent.

5. Controller operating mechanism, comprising a controller, a motor foroperating said controller, a governor for controlling said motor, detentmechanism, and clock actuated means for operating said detent mechanism,said detent mechanism comprising a plurality of detents, each of saiddetents being independent of the other, and means adapted to hold allbut one detent at a time out of position to be actuated by said meansfor operating the detent mechanism, whereby it one detent be actuated byother than its normal operating means, such detent will be moved out ofoperating position with respect to its normal operating means, and thenext detent in the sequence moved into operative position to be actuatedby the operating means at the time when said operating means wouldnormally actuate said last-named detent.

In witness whereofl have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HUBERT K. WOOD. Witnesses GUs'rAvn It. THOMPSON, Trrorras F. WALLACE.

